Overview
As the firm’s dedicated legal writing coach, Julie Schrager works one-on-one with her attorney colleagues to sharpen their writing skills. Specifically, Julie helps summer associates, associates and partners on memos, briefs, emails, reports and other documents, providing targeted feedback on structure, content, style and tone. She also conducts in-house writing workshops that address common writing challenges, including how associates can revise, edit and proofread their own work and how partners can provide effective feedback on writing. Julie draws on her background as a former litigator and legal writing professor to provide practical advice for how lawyers — particularly those newest to the profession — can write clearly and purposefully.
Diversity, Inclusion and Recruiting Efforts
Julie plays a key role in the firm’s diversity efforts by hosting workshops for diverse law students at law schools around the country, including the University of Chicago Law School and Howard University Law School, and for organizations including the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program and The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. Julie also hosts programs for larger groups of law students at the University of Illinois Law School, Northwestern-Pritzker College of Law and Fordham Law.
Academic Background
Before Julie became an in-house legal writing coach, she spent several years teaching first-year legal research and writing at Chicago-Kent College of Law. She continues to teach as an adjunct professor at area law schools.
Experience in Legal Practice
From 1995 to 1999, Julie served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston. Julie’s practice included arguments on dispositive motions, as well as appeals before the First Circuit. In 1996, Julie received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Also in 1996, Julie served as Special Associate White House Counsel, analyzing policy and advising White House staff on compliance with internal ethics rules.
Julie worked as Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Policy Adviser for Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld from 1993-1995. She was an associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., from 1989 to 1993, where she practiced in the litigation and legislation areas.
Faculty Positions
- Chicago-Kent College of Law — First-Year Legal Research and Writing, 1999-2001, 2004-07, 2017-18
Credentials
Education
University of Chicago Law School
J.D. (1989)
Harvard College
A.B. (1986)
Insights & Events
Latest
Insights
Other Perspectives
Published Articles
- Five Tips To Help Your 2021 Summer Associates Succeed
Author, Law360, May 28, 2021 - The Importance of Incorporating ‘Soft Skills’ Into Your Legal Writing
Co-author, Justia, March 20, 2021 - 5 Tips for Summer Success: What Every Law Student Needs To Know
Apochromatik Blog, May 15, 2019
Presentations
- From Classroom to Practice: Writing in the Real World, Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program Bootcamp
May 2021 - Getting Started on a New Writing Assignment
Howard Law, February 2021 - Effective Writing for Business Lawyers
Uber Technologies, Inc., February 2021 - ‘No More Red Pen!’
The Dispute Resolution Foundation Board, DRFB Connections Conference 2020, October 2020 - Revising, Editing and Proofreading Your Own Work
The Belonging Project, September 2020 - Dean’s Summer Academy Writing Workshop
UIC College of Law, July 2020 - Writing Workshop: How To Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Own Work
Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, 2Civility, Jumpstart, Chicago, February 2019
Leadership & Community
Pro Bono
Civic Activities
- Misericordia Women’s Auxiliary, 2012-present